BetterPhoto's Short Courses: Next Session Starts This WednesdayStop kicking yourself for not signing up for a fall online class at BetterPhoto.com. The next session of our 4-week Short Courses begins this Wednesday, November 2nd. Some classes have filled, but there's space available in many others, including: "The Four Essential Filters", "Beginners Guide to Strobe Lighting", "Color Management", and "The Magic of Wide-Angle". For specifics:
http://www.betterphoto.com/online-photography-short-courses.asp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WHAT'S NEW AT BETTERPHOTO.COM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the 236th issue of SnapShot!

Hi {FirstName}

November promises to be such an exciting month at BetterPhoto! My October series of free talks in California was a big success. Now, for November, I'm taking my program - "Top Tips for Digital Photography: Storytelling with Your Digital Camera" - to the Seattle area. For all of the details, go to:http://www.betterphoto.com/where-is-jim.asp

Our second session of short courses starts this Wednesday. Among the outstanding offerings: Tony Sweet's "The Four Essential Filters", Charlie Borland's "Beginners Guide to Strobe Lighting", David Bathgate's "The Magic of Wide-Angle" and Jon Canfield's "Color Management". For information, visit:http://www.betterphoto.com/online-photography-short-courses.asp

*****Catch Jim - in Person! - in Puget Sound AreaJoin Jim Miotke in Seattle's Puget Sound area! The founder of BetterPhoto™ and author of The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography is giving a lively, fun, and informative series of free talks on digital photography. For all of the where-what-and-when details of his "Top Tips for Digital Photography: Storytelling With Your Digital Camera" program, go to:
http://www.betterphoto.com/where-is-jim.asp

*****Winter Session of Online Courses Just Posted!The next session of BetterPhoto's online photo courses kicks off January 4th, and it promises to be our best lineup yet. So many terrific classes to choose from in so many different categories. Check them out at:http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/categories.asp

*****BetterWorkshops: Online Critiques and On-Location Excitement!Our lineup of workshops combines the best of two worlds: online and on-location. A pre-workshop lesson, assignment, and critique will get you ready for the awesome field sessions. Afterward, you'll receive terrific post-workshop feedback on your images! And each workshop is led by one of BetterPhoto's expert instructor-photographers. For information:
http://www.betterphoto.com/on-location-photography-workshops.asp

In Praise of Rubber Lens Hoods and UV Filters ... by Sue Conant
I was taking pictures from the roof of our 13-foot-tall motorhome as 50 of the same kind were lining up to caravan for a rally. While on top, the wind picked up and I thought the lenses were secured, but one tipped over and rolled to the edge, then went crashing to the street below. When retreiving the lens, we found the rubber lens hood had protected the lens itself. The UV filter had shattered and the rubber lens hood was bent where it screwed onto the lens, but the actual lens was not harmed. No dents or scratches. We're still using it - just replaced the UV filter and rubber hood. Now when I use the roof of the motorhome for a platform, I
carry the extra lenses in one of those pocketed vests with zippers.

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Great PhotosMy new book guides you away from the point-and-pray method of taking pictures to shooting with confidence. In this simple and clear how-to book, you will learn:

How to compose your picture with a more artful eye

The top qualities that winning photos exhibit

Tips and secrets for consistently getting better results... and much more.

You can order this book online, call our toll-free order processing number 1-888-927-9992, or simply send a check or money order for USD $16.90 (or USD$18.90 if shipping to Canada or USD$24.90 to other international addresses) to:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PHOTOGRAPHY Q&A - NEW THIS WEEK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEW QUESTION 1: Orange PeopleMy Canon Powershot Pro 1 takes beautiful outdoor pictures, and the Canon i9900 printer prints equally well. But since I've started shooting inside, I've found that my photos are orange. I'm even using studio lighting and muslim backgrounds. What do I need to do to improve the quality of my studio photos? Thanks!- Tia J.

ANSWER 1:It sounds like the white balance setting is off. Set it for either auto or incandescent for indoor use.- Pete Herman

NEW QUESTION 2: Correcting ShadowsCan anyone tell me if there's an easy way to get rid of a shadow in a photo using Photoshop CS2? I'm just starting to learn the software, so I don't know all the in's and outs. I have a friend that I took a photo of but it's got a shadow over part of her shirt and I wanted to see if there's a way to just get rid or reduce the shadow on her shirt but not alter the rest of the photo. Thanks.- Kelly R. Theobald

ANSWER 1:Dodge, lasso outlining and lighten. Clone it out, copy an area and paste over ...- Gregory La Grange

ANSWER 2:For your specific request, I think "cloning" may be your best option. That is perhaps only one of a dozen ways to do it. If you post the photo, perhaps we can give you the best possible option. Selection, feathering, dodging at shadow levels is more precise and offers more control. Cloning can be great if used properly, but it DOES alter the image, just depends on what the image is; often a good clone job cannot be detected.- Pete Herman

NEW QUESTION 3: Shooting Engagement PicturesI am taking my first set of engagement pictures and I was wondering if anyone had some tips for me ... to tell you the truth I'm nervous so I could use any help! I am using a 35mm camera with 400 ISO color film, and than I am using a 4mexa pixel digital camera. If you have any good poses or lighting things, let me know - any help would be greatly appreciated! Also, what are some ways to get everyone comfortable around each other?- Sarah B. Wittman

ANSWER 1:I'm not a professional photographer, but I took some engagement photos last year. What I did for getting comfortable shots was to have the couple just interact with each other while I was far away with my telephoto lens. I just snapped candids for quite a while and slowly got closer and closer to them. By the time I was up close, they were comfortable with having their picture taken. - Jennifer Wytmans

ANSWER 2:A glass of wine always does the trick. Don't have them look at the camera. Photojounalism is the hot item right now. Traditional is just traditional.- Craig Paulsen

NEW QUESTION 4: Background and Skin TonesI'm shooting an engagement session in about 2 weeks. The couple wants to go up to Red Rocks near Denver. The place is gorgeous, but as the name implies, the rocks are all the browny-red. If they are positioned in front of the rocks, is there anything I need to know about how that will affect their skin tones? I'm worried about that red being reflected into their faces and making them appear a different color. Should I have them wear/stay away from certain colors? Does white reflect it more in the face, would green counteract anything? One last thing...I'm still learning the whole white-balance thing. I shoot with a D70 ... is it OK to leave it on Auto in this kind of situation, or should I try to use one of the other modes? Thanks for your experienced input!- Lynsey Lund

ANSWER 1:I've been there: beautiful place. I wouldn't think that with their backs to the rocks that reflection would be much of a problem. ...- Bob Cournoyer

ANSWER 2:Auto white balance is perfectly fine. The D70 is a very capable camera (I use it) and will adjust the white balance settings wonderfully. If you have access to Nikon Capture or Photoshop, then white balance is no issue at all! I recommend shooting all your pictures in Raw format (NEF for Nikon) for when you open the images in the previously mentioned programs, white balance can be adjusted to anything you want. When you work in Raw, you can almost "retake" any image on your computer! - Ryan Jones

NEW QUESTION 5: Can an Idea Be Copyrighted?Hi,I was wondering, can I copyright an idea? If I have a great idea for holiday poses, can I copyright that idea or can I only copyright the actual photos? I had a brainstorm idea for holiday photos, but then was viewing other photographer's galleries here on BP and found I was not the first to have this brainstorm idea. I already bought all of the stuff to take the pics, and wanted to be sure I wasn't infringing on any "idea" copyright laws. However, if that person hasn't copyrighted the idea, can I do it? My guess is that I can only copyright my actual photos and not the idea.Jen- Jennifer L. La Velle

ANSWER 2:You can copyright a design, but here are the problems:1) It's very costly to do so.2) All you need to do is change one little thing, and you've found the grey area of copyright laws.3) It's very hard and costly to enforce.

I've checked out some galleries here, and had to do a double take to see if I was looking at the same gallery twice. I've noticed many people use the same poses on their sites, especially pregnancy poses. I've never seen anyone copyright a pose, so I really don't think you would be infringing on anyone else from this forum. And you're not doing print ads commercially, so that's not a problem either. If you're worried about other people stealing your ideas, don't post them on the Internet. And if one of your clients says, "I've seen that pose before", say, "Yeah, but I make it look better!"- Michelle Ochoa

ANSWER 3:Hi,Thanks for the info!! I am starting to think there are no new ideas in photography because even if I THINK I had the idea first, I have discovered that I did not. Oh well, guess it was a good idea if others have used it too!Jen- Jennifer L. La Velle

NEW QUESTION 6: Client Wants to Sell Pics to Third PartyI have a weird situation. I recently completed a job for a client. She makes natural soaps, creams, massage oils and the like, and I did product shots for her online store. There is now a third party who wants to buy some of her products - I suppose at wholesale, for resale on the retail level - and asked my client if she had any product shots of the relevant items to use in her own venture. I figure that the photos have been bought and paid for by my client, and they are hers to do with as she sees fit. My question is, should I be concerned about anything here? I can't think of any reason why I should be concerned but I thought I'd pick your brains. Thanks for your input.- Mike

ANSWER 1:My first thought is: they should have to buy them from you. But what kind of contract is there between you and the second party? Did you give them permission to USE them? Or did you give them the rights to have them? If they bought them and now own them, then they can sell them ... if not, you still own the rights to them, but I would guess if the third party bought them from you also, what happens if they use them for "other" purposes?? Kind of a thin ice thing.-zacker-PS: big help aren't I? lol- Craig m. Zacarelli

ANSWER 2:If you sold her the pictures and the rights to use them, that is all she can do. If you sold her the copyright, she can do as she pleases.- Kerry L. Walker

ANSWER 3:Most photographers I've dealt with on a coroporate level pretty much charge for their time and expertise, and give all rights to the customer. You're taking the photos for their advertising purposes anyway, so shouldn't they be able to do with them what they want? And if someone else is reselling your customer's product, then why should they have to pay for the same pictures again? It also sounds like your customer is not going to sell your images, but simply give them to this 3rd party. It's going to help your client to have someone else try to sell their products. I deal with this issue all the time - my day job deals with manufacturers and distributors, and the manufacturers are more than happy to provide photos for the distributors to promote their products.This sort of practice will also help you get more business. If your customer needs to come to you every time they need to use their photos for a brochure, business card, Web site, or other promotional material, they'll just stop coming all together.- Michelle Ochoa

ANSWER 4:Michelle, that sounds about right to me. I guess I needed assurance. I only gave permission to use the photos as promotional material. I retained copyright to the images. Really, I don't care what the client does with the pics so long as the use of them doesn't in any way cast a foul light on me. I trust the client (who is a friend of my wife) to use good judgment. I was really only concerned with the ramifications of use by a third party. Thanks to all for your input. - Mike

NEW QUESTION 7: 10'x20' Backdrop Storage IdeasI was wondering if anyone has found a way to successfully store a 10x20 hand-painted muslin backdrop in a way to minimize wrinkles. I have even tried rolling mine on a 10'x2" section of PVC but still get wrinkles. Perhaps someone has a neat tip for rolling it up? I have used a wider aperture to minimize their appearance but it would be nice to not have them in the first place. Thanks in advance! - Audrea Telkamp

ANSWER 1:What about trying to roll it around the cardboard tube that is inside rolls of carpet? The carpet store next to our shop just throws them away. It would be larger diameter and may cause less wrinkling.- Liza M. Franco

ANSWER 2:They also make PVC pipe in a larger diameter than 2 inches.- Gregory La Grange

NEW QUESTION 8: Model Releases for Unrecognizable PeopleI have a question concerning the need of a model release for submitting my images of people to stock agencies. Does a photographer still need a model release on an image of a person or persons (group) if the person is unrecognizable by the fact of being too far away or back to camera or face partially obscured? - Christopher Ruble

NEW QUESTION 9: Shooting sports indoorsI shoot a lot of basketball and figure skating indoors. I use a Canon EOS 10D with a Sigma Aspherical 70-200mm f2.8 lens. I have tremendous difficulty getting the correct color balance. In our university's gym I get a lot of orange tint, and in the rink I get a lot of reds/purples. I have tried the various preset WB settings, and even manually setting color temp, all with disappointing results. The white jerseys or costumes are never crisply white. Se attached images as examples.- Paul Tortland

ANSWER 1:It's doubtful any of the presets will match up to the gymnasium lights. You said you tried manually setting the color temp - did you mean directly setting the K, or did you use Custom White Balance (meter off a white subject or gray card under the gym lights)? I'd be surprised if Custom White Balance didn't work for you. Also, just to cover all possibilities, what exposure mode did you use? Note that the Basic modes (icons and green box) use AWB (Auto White Balance) only. The presets, Custom White Balance, and Color Temperature settings are only in effect when shooting in P, Av, Tv, M, and A-DEP modes. - Jon Close

NEW QUESTION 10: Tungsten LightingWhat lighting is suitable for studio lighting for flowers? Incandescent, I know, gives a reddish tone to things, but what about tungsten lights? I am referring here to constant tungsten lighting as opposed to flash.- John Duncan

ANSWER 1:Are you shooting film or digital?If digital ... set your white balance to match the lighting. If film is your capture medium, an 80-A filter with outdoor film (or a tungsten-balanced film) will correct the reddish tinge for either continuous light source.- Bob Cammarata

ANSWER 2:Bob is correct. Also just to make sure you know, incandescent is the same as tungsten. It's just referring to it in a different way. I believe the filament is tungsten and incandescent means something else but I'm not sure. Make sure that it's not a very precious flower if you plan to work long. By precious, I mean something you would give to a significant other but take photos of first ... lol. I did that and the flower didn't last too long. I think it was because of the heat from the lamps. - Andrew Laverghetta

CONTINUING QUESTION 1: How to Photograph a Group at SunsetMy shoot will be of 8-10 people on a golf course about 1/2 hour before sunset. I want to make sure everyone is in focus. I have a Nikon N60, using Portra 400, and was planning on my Tamron 28-105mm 1:4-5.6D vs. Nikkor 35-80mm 1:4-5.6D or Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6G. Is the Tamron the lens to use? Also, I want to shoot at a small aperture/large f-stop# ... correct? Any advice is much appreciated!- Anndrea

ANSWER 1:Anndrea, there are a lot of variables in there, but here's an overview:

First, I presume you will position the group so they are facing the sun - in order to be illuminated by it. If you face into the (beautiful) sunset, then the group will become a silhouette of shadow because the sun will likely cause the meter to overcompensate and reduce exposure to the film. Or, you could have the group with the sunset behind them, but will need to use a flash to add lighting to the people (so-called "fill flash").

As for lens choice - it would seem that the wider angle focal lengths are most appropriate - assuming you plan to be standing relatively close to the gang. If you'll be taking them from 75 feet away, then you might need the longer lens. The difference between 28mm and 35mm is noticeable, so perhaps the Tamron at 28-ish mm would be a better choice. If that's too wide, you can always zoom in - while you can't "zoom out" from 35mm on the Nikkor lens. Since they're both the same speed, there's no advantage there. And while the Nikkor might be slightly better optically, unless you're planning to make a poster-sized print, the difference is negligible.

You are generally right about what f-stop to use - the smaller aperture (higher f-number) will give greater depth of field, keeping everyone in focus (if they're standing in 3 rows, for instance). However, you might prefer to NOT have too much DOF, because it might look nicer if the group is sharp but the background behind them (trees and bushes, say) are out of focus - this is where you use the depth-of-field preview button on the camera (I think the N60 has one) - just to view through the lens while it's stopped down to f5.6 or 11 or whatever the meter indicates.

The other consideration on f-stop is that the smaller the aperture, the longer the required shutter speed to compensate. And too slow a shutter speed means potential blur. Even if you put the camera on a tripod (which you should, if at all possible), the motion of the people in the picture will cause them to blur out at too slow a shutter speed.

And you thought this would be easy, eh? ... Final thought: Why not go out tonight and take some shots in similar circumstances? Any field around sunset with a subject - could be a dog or a herd of cats - and experiment with various f-stops and shutter speeds. Take note - what f-stop, shutter speed (and flash setting) you used on each picture. Then get them developed at the 1-hour kiosk someplace to see which gives the best results.- Bob

ANSWER 2:Bob-Thanks for the advice. I've shot this time of day on a golf course before but never with this many people. I was planning on taking some w/flash and some without. I have a Nikon SB-50Dx. Will this even provide any fill?Thanks again!- Anndrea

ANSWER 3:Well, I would think that for the distance at which you'll have to position yourself and the width of the group, it's unlikely that the on-camera flash will provide enough fill light to make a difference. I would think this is another variable to test.- Bob

ANSWER 4:At 1/2 hour before sunset, yes, you will have that glorious color on their faces. But you could also turn them around and get that sunlight behind them. Don't use auto-exposure. Meter with an incident meter, or meter with your camera at a part of the sky that doesn't include the sun. Just remember that your exposure changes every few minutes with the setting sun. Now, you must add fill flash. You could also put an amber filter over the flash to give the group that sunset-look.

Then, after the sun slips below the horizon, do something even better: a twilight portrait. This is the most beautiful time of day, as the sky will turn into a glorious kaleidescope of color. Meter for the ambient light, UNDERexpose it by one stop to bring out the color of the sky, and expose the flash correctly for the group. Simply lovely!

But don't forget the tripod, because your exposure will probably be f/5.6 at 1/15th or even 1/8th of a second with 800 or 400-speed film.- Maria Melnyk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SIGN UP TO PHOTOFLASH AND THE DIGITAL PICTURE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun and master the arts of traditional or digital photography! Participate or follow along as we discuss topics & lessons, practice assignments, and offer feedback on each others' work. Subscribe to our other two free newsletters - PhotoFlash and the Digital Darkroom - at:http://www.betterphoto.com/subscribe.asp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN SNAPSHOT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get word of your product or service out to our rapidly growing list of 55159 subscribers.

If you use a Challenge-Response system for email, please make certain that you can receive our email by adding www.betterphoto.com to your Allow List.

The sender of this email is the BetterPhoto.com, Inc., P.O. Box 2781, Redmond, WA 98052

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Copyright 2005 BetterPhoto.com - All Rights Reserved. No part of this newsletter may be copied or published without prior permission. BetterPhoto is a trademark of BetterPhoto.com, Inc.